The weekend report. And NEW SPIDERS!!!!!! :D
'Twas a good weekend. I wasn't sure that it was going to be a good one since I felt pretty icky on Friday. I wasn't sure if it was a cold or allergies, but it was apparently allergies. Specifically, something down here in the office was setting me off, because once I left (or, as it were, was kicked out and sent home by the company owner's wife because I was sneezing almost constantly and she was afraid I'd infect her. :) ), and got home my head started clearing out. I was fine by Saturday morning. But it seems to be OK today. I guess it all happened because we had high winds on Thursday that blew all the dust around. Probably blew some stuff here into the office, and hopefully it's all settled now. So, on to the rest of the weekend.
Spent all day Saturday in Farmington, shopping with frostymook. Bought lots of clothes. Got a new book. (Mary, Called Magdalene by Margaret George.) Ate lunch/dinner at Outback. Was much fun.
Sunday was spent at home, doing odd things. Lazing about, mostly. As usual. But I did finish the Jayne hat. (It's so cute!) It REALLY makes me want to do more knitting. In fact, I have to walk over to the bank this afternoon, and the yarn shop is just kitty-corner from the bank, so....might have to go buy another project, yes. :) I want to try my hand at making socks. Also re-did the deer netting on the strawberry garden. And my wisteria is blooming! :D Better late than never, I suppose. :)
On Saturday, I also bought a half a cocunut shell for the tarantula to hide in, now that she's in a bigger container. And what does she do with it? I'll tell you what she does with it. She perches on top of it, all serene, like she's a mountaintop guru or something. Or she clings to the side of it. She doesn't actually hide inside it. But this is probably a good thing. It means she's comfortable and doesn't feel a need to hide. She's also eating like a pig, so hopefully she'll molt again soon. I've also decided on a name for her: Athena, after the Greek goddess, who in mythology turned Arachnae, a weaver, into a spider in a fit of weaving-skill jealousy. It fits her, I think, given that tarantulas aren't known for their weaving skill in comparison to the orb-weavers. ;)
But now I have to think of more names, for I have more spiders. Four of them. Only ordered two, got four. :D
I now have a King Baboon. They didn't have any big ones anymore, but I got a larger juvenile. It's a bit smaller than my Mexican Redknee is right now, but not by much. It'll get a lot bigger than the Redknee if it's a female. They're known for 9" legspans and rear legs as thick as pencils. And they're also known for having a nasty attitude, which is why I like 'em. :) Their threat display consists of rearing up on those big rear legs and hissing. Yes, hissing. This guy, though, is contentedly hiding head-first in the paper towel tunnel inside its container. I think it's still a little freaked from shipment. I had the lid off the container for a little while to let in some air and it didn't even poke a leg out to investigate.
I also now have a Malaysian Tan Huntsman Spider, which isn't a tarantula but is nevertheless extremely cool-looking. It looks a lot like this one, although that's an Australian species and this one isn't. I've always liked the looks of the long-legged huntsmen spiders but have never lived in a place where they live. So now I have one of my very own. And it's pretty big, maybe about 3" with its legs outstretched. It's prowling around its container as I speak. I might actually keep this guy in the office instead of the King Baboon, since it's a bigger arboreal spider with interesting behavior, as opposed to a burrower like the King Baboon, who might not be seen much once it builds its burrow to its satisfaction. Those were the two spiders that I actually ordered.
When I opened the box, though, there were also two little babies in there. One is a pinktoe tarantula. Even as a teensy baby, it's pretty, a lovely dark teal color and very fuzzy with teensy little red fangs. But tiny, not much bigger than a jumping spider you'd find around the house. It arrived in a little deli cup, the kind that you put ketchup in in a fast-food restaurant, and it has plenty of room to move around in it. And it's doing a lot of moving around. Active little guy, at least for now. It's the cutest little thing EVER, with big fat "toes," since it's an arboreal species. I think I'm severely in love with this little guy...
My other freebie is an "Orange Bitey Thing," otherwise known as an Usambara Orange Starburst Baboon. I actually wanted one of these, so it was a serendipitous freebie. It's a little bit bigger than the pinktoe and is contentedly webbing up its vial that it came in. Right now it's black, but when it grows up, it will be that beautiful brilliant orange color like the one in the pic I linked to. But very aggressively defensive, hence its nickname, and it can move like lightning. From what I've read, this species grows quickly, so it probably won't be long before I have a big orange bitey beastie. :) They are apparently prolific breeders in captivity, hundreds of babies per brood, so I guess they had a surplus that they needed to unload. I'm happy. :)
Guess I'm going to have to go get some small crickets for these babies I now have, though... And, as I said, I have to think of four more names now... Maybe something African for the two baboons, since they're African species....
Anyway, pictures will be forthcoming, oh yeeeeessssss, once I get these guys home and into better homes than deli cups. :)
Spent all day Saturday in Farmington, shopping with frostymook. Bought lots of clothes. Got a new book. (Mary, Called Magdalene by Margaret George.) Ate lunch/dinner at Outback. Was much fun.
Sunday was spent at home, doing odd things. Lazing about, mostly. As usual. But I did finish the Jayne hat. (It's so cute!) It REALLY makes me want to do more knitting. In fact, I have to walk over to the bank this afternoon, and the yarn shop is just kitty-corner from the bank, so....might have to go buy another project, yes. :) I want to try my hand at making socks. Also re-did the deer netting on the strawberry garden. And my wisteria is blooming! :D Better late than never, I suppose. :)
On Saturday, I also bought a half a cocunut shell for the tarantula to hide in, now that she's in a bigger container. And what does she do with it? I'll tell you what she does with it. She perches on top of it, all serene, like she's a mountaintop guru or something. Or she clings to the side of it. She doesn't actually hide inside it. But this is probably a good thing. It means she's comfortable and doesn't feel a need to hide. She's also eating like a pig, so hopefully she'll molt again soon. I've also decided on a name for her: Athena, after the Greek goddess, who in mythology turned Arachnae, a weaver, into a spider in a fit of weaving-skill jealousy. It fits her, I think, given that tarantulas aren't known for their weaving skill in comparison to the orb-weavers. ;)
But now I have to think of more names, for I have more spiders. Four of them. Only ordered two, got four. :D
I now have a King Baboon. They didn't have any big ones anymore, but I got a larger juvenile. It's a bit smaller than my Mexican Redknee is right now, but not by much. It'll get a lot bigger than the Redknee if it's a female. They're known for 9" legspans and rear legs as thick as pencils. And they're also known for having a nasty attitude, which is why I like 'em. :) Their threat display consists of rearing up on those big rear legs and hissing. Yes, hissing. This guy, though, is contentedly hiding head-first in the paper towel tunnel inside its container. I think it's still a little freaked from shipment. I had the lid off the container for a little while to let in some air and it didn't even poke a leg out to investigate.
I also now have a Malaysian Tan Huntsman Spider, which isn't a tarantula but is nevertheless extremely cool-looking. It looks a lot like this one, although that's an Australian species and this one isn't. I've always liked the looks of the long-legged huntsmen spiders but have never lived in a place where they live. So now I have one of my very own. And it's pretty big, maybe about 3" with its legs outstretched. It's prowling around its container as I speak. I might actually keep this guy in the office instead of the King Baboon, since it's a bigger arboreal spider with interesting behavior, as opposed to a burrower like the King Baboon, who might not be seen much once it builds its burrow to its satisfaction. Those were the two spiders that I actually ordered.
When I opened the box, though, there were also two little babies in there. One is a pinktoe tarantula. Even as a teensy baby, it's pretty, a lovely dark teal color and very fuzzy with teensy little red fangs. But tiny, not much bigger than a jumping spider you'd find around the house. It arrived in a little deli cup, the kind that you put ketchup in in a fast-food restaurant, and it has plenty of room to move around in it. And it's doing a lot of moving around. Active little guy, at least for now. It's the cutest little thing EVER, with big fat "toes," since it's an arboreal species. I think I'm severely in love with this little guy...
My other freebie is an "Orange Bitey Thing," otherwise known as an Usambara Orange Starburst Baboon. I actually wanted one of these, so it was a serendipitous freebie. It's a little bit bigger than the pinktoe and is contentedly webbing up its vial that it came in. Right now it's black, but when it grows up, it will be that beautiful brilliant orange color like the one in the pic I linked to. But very aggressively defensive, hence its nickname, and it can move like lightning. From what I've read, this species grows quickly, so it probably won't be long before I have a big orange bitey beastie. :) They are apparently prolific breeders in captivity, hundreds of babies per brood, so I guess they had a surplus that they needed to unload. I'm happy. :)
Guess I'm going to have to go get some small crickets for these babies I now have, though... And, as I said, I have to think of four more names now... Maybe something African for the two baboons, since they're African species....
Anyway, pictures will be forthcoming, oh yeeeeessssss, once I get these guys home and into better homes than deli cups. :)